AC/DC Top Billboard’s 2015 Hard Rock Albums List

AC/DC are still the reigning chart champions of hard rock, and Billboard's year-end sales tally points to the latest proof.

The venerable music trade publication has unveiled its year-end data for 2015, and AC/DC came out on top of the hard rock pack, leading all contenders on the Top Artists list as well as the Top 10 Albums list — where the band's most recent effort, Rock or Bust, outpaced releases from younger artists such as Nickelback, Foo Fighters, and Breaking Benjamin. (Despite not coming out until fairly late in the year, Iron Maiden's The Book of Souls managed to score the 10th spot.)

AC/DC's year of commercial success offers a triumphant coda to a series of personal setbacks that dogged the group during the months leading up to Rock or Bust's release. Co-founding guitarist Malcolm Young was forced to retire due to an array of serious health issues and drummer Phil Rudd found himself fired after getting wrapped up in some embarrassing legal problems. Still, the rejiggered lineup managed to hit the promotional trail — and start a world tour — without missing a beat.

The band's Rock or Bust tour continues in early 2016, with a new North American leg scheduled to begin Feb. 2 in Tacoma, Wash. and run through April 4 in Madison Square Garden. Check out further details here and take a look at Billboard's year-end hard rock Top 10 sales lists below.